The Oilers got double-digit scoring from all three players and had a big advantage at the foul line, as they dominated the middle two quarters and went on to beat the visiting Chargers 63-53.

With the win, Mount Pleasant improves to 8-5 overall and 7-3 in the SVL North, while avenging a 59-54 loss to the Chargers on Dec. 13. Dow slips to 6-8, 4-7.

Ingram led the way with 17 points and six rebounds, while Wojtusik had 16 points on an assortment of hard drives to the basket and jumpers, and Ricumstrict added 13 points.

“I think the player who really surprised us tonight for them was No. 42 (Wojtusik). ... He just played with a lot of confidence and poise tonight, which I wasn’t expecting,” Dickerson admitted. “ ... His 16 points surprised us.”

Another big key was foul shooting, as the Oilers got to the line more often and made more free throws than the Chargers, particularly in the second quarter when Mount Pleasant turned a six-point deficit into a six-point halftime lead. All told, Mount Pleasant shot 21 of 32 from the line to Dow’s 12 of 23. In the second quarter alone, the Oilers made 9 of 10 free throws, while the Chargers were 0 of 2.

“(Foul shooting) was a big difference, especially in the first half. ... When you’re in the SVL, usually the officiating is pretty consistent, and we’ve gotten used to playing a certain way (defensively),” Dickerson said. “But tonight, in those first two quarters, we had to adjust (to the officiating), and I felt like we were off-kilter.”

A bright spot for the Chargers was the play of 6-foot-8 senior center Caleb Broodo, who led Dow with nine points and 13 rebounds after scoring a career-high 20 points against the Oilers in their previous meeting. Trevor Davis added eight points and five assists for a balanced Dow offense, while Zac Chichester also had eight points, and Logan Daniels and Isaac Moolenaar each added seven points.

“We wanted Caleb (Broodo) to get some touches in the post, and I thought he did a good job tonight with his decision-making, which is something he’s been inconsistent with,” Dickerson said. “I saw huge improvement there.”

Both teams got off to a slow start before Chichester hit a runner and then a 3-pointer to get Dow going. Moolenaar added a pair of buckets, including a triple, as the Chargers went on a 14-5 run and eventually carried a 17-11 lead into the second quarter.

Mount Pleasant started hot in the second, though, reeling off the first nine points of the quarter before Mitchell Hayes finally got Dow on the board with a short jumper in the lane to make it 20-19 in favor of the Oilers.

After both teams went into a drought for a couple of minutes, the scoring picked back up, and the teams traded buckets over the final three minutes of the period. Mount Pleasant ended up outscoring Dow 22-10 in the quarter to take a 33-27 lead into the break.

Oilers’ coach Dan Schell said that his team’s ability to draw fouls had a lot to do with its aggressiveness and ball movement.

“We thought going in that if we moved the ball well on offense, we’d have good opportunities to drive to the rim,” he said. “We have five guys (at any given) time who can spread the floor and dribble. ... We didn’t get impatient. We took our time, moved the ball, and got to the rim (and either scored or drew fouls).”

Mount Pleasant gradually increased its lead to double digits in the third quarter, opening the half on a 13-6 run to make it 46-33. Ricumstrict capped the run with a pair of nifty alley-oop layups off of inbounds passes from Ingram. The Chargers whittled the deficit down to nine briefly, but the Oilers went on to build a 53-41 edge by the end of the quarter.

Dow then began to show some spunk early in the fourth, picking up its pressure defense, forcing a handful of turnovers, and again chipping away at the deficit. The Chargers held MPHS scoreless for the first four-plus minutes of the period and scored the first six points of the quarter to get to within 53-47. Mount Pleasant answered, however, with three free throws and a driving layup by Wojtusik to push the lead back to double digits, 58-47.

Dow again cut it to a six-point game, 59-53, with exactly one minute left, but the Chargers would get no closer. Mount Pleasant hit 4 of 6 free throws down the stretch to seal it.

Dow ended up shooting 43 percent (19 of 44) from the floor to Mount Pleasant’s 41 percent (19 of 46) and outrebounded the Oilers 39-29. But the Chargers had 16 turnovers to only seven for Mount Pleasant, while the Oilers outscored Dow by nine from the foul line.

The loss didn’t sit well with Dickerson, who vowed that his team will be ready for the Oilers should they meet again.

“I hate to lose to them, and I hate to lose here,” he said, adding with a wry grin, “(Wojtusik) surprised us, and I’ll give them credit for that. If we see them in the district finals, it won’t happen again.”